Windows to the Soul
by antarianprincess
Summary: incomplete Max and Liz knew each other as children only to be torn apart by fate. Now ten years later they meet again in an uncomfortable position not knowing that they have found their lost loves.
1. Prologue

Title: Windows to the Soul  
  
Author: AntarianPrincess & MLDreamer  
  
Rating: PG-13 to R eventually  
  
Category: AU (no aliens), CC, M/L  
  
Summary: Max and Liz knew each other as children only to be torn apart by fate. Now ten years later they meet again in an uncomfortable position not knowing that they have found their lost loves.  
  
Disclaimer: The characters do not belong to us for they belong to Jason Katims, Melinda Metz, UPN, and myriad other important people.  
  
A/N: We're both new at this and this is our first joint writing, so be nice.  
  
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L-O-V-E. Four simple letters, one simple word. Yet in society, that word is carelessly tossed about by people who cannot even begin to comprehend the meaning of the word. Do these amateurs ever realize what they so carelessly say in their moments of light-hearted banter? "I love you" are three important words that can change the course of a person's life and only a fool would say life-altering words without considering the consequences. Do these neophytes know that without love one would die alone in the merciless world - cold, miserable, unwanted. Everyone wants to be loved, but very few have ever experienced love to the degree in which they desired it.  
  
You ask what is love. A fair and simple question with no adequate answer. Even the wisest cannot answer such a question. Some people say that love is the best thing on Earth, something that will complete you and make you ask for more. While there is not right or wrong definition, those few who have ever experienced love would scoff at such. One could only begin to describe love, for this one little word brings such emotion.  
  
Love is unattainable, something holy to most of the humble beings in the world. Those in love are untouchable by all else, but not invulnerable. For many, love is suicide - sensation of losing oneself in a mixture of boundless passion and extreme inflation. It is the complete trust that strips all barriers, all walls to hide the sensitive soul afraid of being seen. It is the maelstrom of emotion that strikes the core of your being and binds the self into a violent yet peaceful submission. As a result, those who have experienced love are forever ensnared in its magical spell both unwilling and unable to escape its bonds.  
  
As rare and unachievable as love is, it does exist. When it decides to strike, two souls fuse permanently into one, two hearts combine inseparably into one, and two minds forever thinks as one. It is truly a beautiful event, but not always one free of pain or of sacrifice. The great William Shakespeare had remarked that "the course of true love never did run smooth," and it is hardly the job of mere mortals to question him. It is generally acknowledged that any amount of pain is worth it, that the fruits of love are worth enduring its thorns. But how many of the "victims" have resisted, for who can stand firm when faced with the temptations of love. How many souls have perished in the dangerous flight of love? More importantly, how few will ever succeed?  
  
Maxwell Evans, like countless multitudes before him and after him, has always yearned incessantly for that magical feeling of love but he never pretends to have felt love. His parents, while extremely indulging materially, were always distant, never showing him any affection unless it was for public display.  
  
And Max had certainly been placed on public display all his life, because he not only lived the life of the golden boy but he looked it too. His dark brown hair, framed a perfect oval-shaped face, was thick and silky, curling at the tips. His lips were full, perfectly shaped and as red and sensuous as a red rose in the height of the summer. But the feature that never failed to catch attention was his eyes. They were a liquid amber, infinitely deep but that did not begin to describe those eyes. Once, someone had described his eyes as soulful and she had been absolutely right. His eyes were soulful and expressive, displaying his inner emotions but at the same time it seemed to hide a multitude of pain and loneliness somewhere in its hidden depths.  
  
While he had always been the golden boy to the outside world, he had always felt unwanted, unloved and isolated like that eccentric hermit, Henry David Thoreau, he was once forced to read about in his American literature class, at the insistence of his rather bizarre teacher, much to the displeasure of himself and his fellow classmates.  
  
He did have one bright star in his life though and Max Evans smiled as he thought back to those carefree childhood days when he would spend hours in the company of Elizabeth Parker while they would share their dreams in the future with each other. She was such a small, precocious adorable little girl, he remembered. They had been inseparable and Max sincerely believed that they would one day have fallen in love, married and had that happily ever after ending if only fate - or rather, his parents - had not intervened.  
  
For this reason only, Max had shut his past away forever in himself and renounced his name. Now, a completely different person, he passed his days as happily as he thought possible, doing something that he had always wanted to do. However, an invisible voice was always there to tell him the truth that behind the façade and heart of stone, there was a vulnerable and lonely side, a side he hid from himself and the world. Only one person in the world could ever help he reveal his true self - the girl he could never forget.  
  
**Flashback**  
  
"Maxwell Evans, you listen to me. You will do as I say. Love is fleeting, illusionary feeling and besides, you are much too young in be in love. We, as part of the aristocracy, have absolutely no time to indulge in such silliness. You will announce your marriage at the end of this month." His father's voice was unyielding and his jaw was resolute; Max already knew that he could not possibly hope to change his father's mind but for Liz's sake, for the sake of their future life together he had to try.  
  
"No father, you don't understand. I won't marry Tess. I can't marry Tess. It's not even the fact that I don't love her father, I don't even like her. In fact, I can go as far as to say that I detest her." He was desperate for his father to understand but as he looked up anxiously into his father's face, he saw that it was white with suppressed fury. He knew immediately from the look of his father's outraged face that he had just said something very wrong indeed and he wisely stayed quiet in the face of his father's wrath.  
  
"And what, pray tell, is wrong with Teresa Harding, you ungrateful child? Do you know how hard your mother and I have worked for this match, Maxwell? Teresa Harding is wealthy, beautiful and socially suitable and I do not wish to hear anymore on the subject."  
  
"Father, I thank you for going through so much trouble for me and I assure you, it is not Tess' beauty that I dislike, it is her intelligence, or lack thereof and her lack of spirit. Oh father, surely you have noticed how absolutely tiresome it is to spend more than a few minutes within her presence! You would not inflict such a punishment on me for life would you?" He sincerely hoped that this guilt trip would work on his father because it was his absolute last resort. If his father did not relent now.but no, that was not a possibility!  
  
He peered anxiously at his father, hoping for some sign of encouragement. He was relieved when he saw his father's face visibly soften, but his joy was premature. His father sighed and spoke softly but with more resolution than ever.  
  
"Maxwell, I know you have strong feelings for Elizabeth Parker and I have nothing against her. She is quite a pretty girl and she has some family fortune to her credit. But you must understand that the Hardings are one of the most important, both financially and politically in all of England. An alliance with them would ensure both your place and your family's place for many generations to come. Besides, we have already arranged this marriage and to stop now would be to disgrace the Hardings. You know how serious that would be." He sighed again before continuing. "My son, I will tell you my secret. I once was in love too with a very special girl but we could not marry because of my duty to my family. I performed my duty and I have not regretted my actions since. Maxwell, you are too rash, too young, and too passionate. You will learn someday, that the intoxication of love does not compare with the necessity of family, wealth and honor." And with those words, his father had finally placed the last dagger through his dreams and his heart.  
  
Woodenly, he muttered a quick "yes father" before turning and walking into his room and began packing his clothes as the salty tears began to fall freely from his face. His mind was made up. He might not ever marry Liz but he would certainly never marry Tess and he refused to suffer any longer in the subjugation of his family and this society that was seemed determined in denying him everything that was important to him. On his desk, was the letter from his good friend from America who he had met a few years prior and had kept in touch with ever since. His friend, Michael, had recently obtained the emancipation that stripped all ties from his foster parent. Michael, knowing Max's unfortunate circumstances to some degree had invited the latter to stay with him in his apartment until Max could find his own residence elsewhere. Max had thought of running away for a few weeks now but he never had the resolution to actually carry through even though his bags had been mostly packed. At the time, he had not though that he would do something that drastic but it seemed now that he had no other choice. Picking up his bags, he smiled sadly as he gazed longingly one last time at a picture of his parents in one of their rare, "family-togetherness" moments, Max gently picked up the frame and planted a light kiss on the cool glass before placing it back.  
  
**End Flashback**  
  
Never again, would his life be controlled by others and now Maxwell Evans was free. But what did that matter? Because now he was just lonely - he still could not have Liz and now he had no family.  
  
Max closed his eyes, leaned back his head as he let the memories of his past life burn.  
  
Notes: Review please. 


	2. Once Upon a December

Once Upon a December  
  
  
  
Dancing bears,  
  
Painted wings  
  
Things I almost remember  
  
And a song someone sings  
  
Once upon a December  
  
Someone holds me safe and warm  
  
Horses prance through a silver storm  
  
Figures dancing gracefully  
  
Across my memory...  
  
Someone holds me safe and warm  
  
Horses prance through a silver storm  
  
Figures dancing gracefully  
  
Across my memory...  
  
Far away, long ago  
  
Glowing dim as an ember,  
  
Things my heart used to know,  
  
Things it yearns to remember...  
  
And a song someone sings  
  
Once upon a December  
  
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It was a bleak frigid winter morning in New York. A sheet of white covered the landscape of the vast college campus. The multitude of trees appeared naked and bare being far too late for the colorful leaves of the autumn and too early for the white blankets of snow that usually covered them in January. The wind blew menacingly on the frozen branches, threatening to uproot the trees. Although, now and then a few people could be seen bustling around, the general atmosphere was peaceful and quiet this early in the morning.  
  
Professor Max Guerin arrived at the building carrying a suitcase of notes he had prepared the previous night for the day's lesson. He walked into the classroom with an innate grace and instilled confidence that was undoubtedly the result of years of formal dinner parties. As he passed, many heads turned, but he did not notice for Max was generally ignorant of the overall effect he seemed to have on the female population. As he entered the chemistry room, he felt that he was ready to counter anything that the day would bring. He had no idea how wrong he was.  
  
At about the same time, a sleek black limousine arrived in front of the school campus. The chauffeur stepped out to open the door for the passenger in the plush back set. A petite young woman stepped out of the vehicle before exchanging a few polite words with the chauffeur as she gazed around to look at her surroundings and blushed at the curious looks that people outside were giving her. She quickly walked into the building away from the onlookers, disappointing the many males that looked her way hoping for a sign of interest from her.  
  
Why are they staring at me? She thought as she hurried up the stairs to avoid the public's eye. I knew I shouldn't have come in the limo. I wouldn't have if mother wasn't so worried about my safety.  
  
Little did she know that the spectators were not just staring because of the limousine she had arrived in but at the stunning girl that emitted a rare natural beauty. She was short, about 5'5" with luxurious chocolate brown locks which she always tucked nervously behind her ears. She wore jeans and a conservative but elegant light blue cashmere sweater completed by a small, matching designer bag.  
  
Just breathe Liz. Liz said to herself as she willed herself to not get too nervous. It was the first time she had left her home for such an extended period of time since the visits to the Evans' during the summers of her early childhood. Max. Her mind wandered again as it frequently did to her childhood best friend and crush. How young and innocent they had been then in their childhood dreams and fantasies. News of his death had broken her heart into pieces never to be mended and still she wondered if it was somehow her fault. She shook the thoughts away she figured the exquisite silver necklace on her neck.  
  
Liz was determined to focus on the beginning of her college life. It had taken her months of convincing for her parents to agree to send their precious, only daughter to a college in the States but Liz had been adamant. After all, Columbia was her dream school and in her opinion certainly worth giving up Oxford for. Finally her parents relented and allowed her to go to a place an ocean away on the condition that she would call and write a postcard everyday with a formal letter twice a month. They have been worried about her ever since the death of the Evans' only heir ten years ago.  
  
Now all she wanted was to get through the day. Glancing at her schedule, she noted that her first class of the day was Organic Chemistry. Liz groaned. As proficient she was in the other areas of science, she was hopeless at organic chemistry. She disliked the endless rules regarding nomenclature and the element carbon altogether. The only hope she had of passing that class was perhaps studying for eight hours before each test like a girl she once knew that was determined to be the valedictorian of her class. Taking a deep breathe, she opened the door to the class room.  
  
Quietly she walked in determined not to cause a scene on her first day as she glanced around at the faces of the few dedicated students that had already arrived before she turned to look at the teacher and she could literally feel her heart stopping in sync with time as her own chocolate brown eyes met the mysterious amber ones that had haunted her dreams. Liz found herself drawn into the dazzling pools that were almost overwhelming her in its sea of tumultuous emotion. It just couldn't be. She forced her eyes away as she mentally kicked herself for feeling something for a complete stranger that happened to look like someone she once knew. She willed herself to calm down and quickly found a seat. She could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head marking its possession, following her every move as she sat down and took out her notebooks.  
  
Max was writing some notes on the whiteboard when he heard the door of the classroom open. He had never believed in the power of psychics but if he was honest with himself, he always believed that people could intuitively know anything on some subconscious level though he always thought Transcendentalism was a bit bizarre. He felt suddenly drawn to the new presence in the room and needed to turn around. What he found would change his life forever - the familiar chocolate brown eyes that he had tried to forget. As Max gazed into the eyes that currently held confusion, apprehension, and above all a sense of recognition, he felt the heart that had been frozen for ten years thaw gently as if a new spring had descended in his world. All that he kept locked away for ten years began to flood back in a great inundation. He was compelled to drown in the eyes that now seemed to possess his entire being, his soul. Suddenly, the moment was lost as she glanced away, breaking their intense non-physical contact.  
  
Max couldn't help but feel disappointed but he knew that his eyes were drawn to her, to her alone. They trailed from her shiny tresses that curled perfectly down her back to the simple yet eloquent outfit that seems to highlight her curves. He watched her take a seat and could not take his eyes off of her. She was the essence of beauty. She was elegance. She was, in a word, perfection. Max abruptly ended his thoughts and willed himself to regain his focus.  
  
Liz sat stiffly in the chair of the lecture hall, trying to no avail to keep her mind off the man in the front. Around her she could hear pieces of conversation, most of which related to the "staring contest" in which she had just partaken in. Choosing to ignore those around her, she walked to the table in the front and took a syllabus to discover what the semester had to offer. Suddenly, a skimpily dressed girl with ridiculously high platforms bumped into her. Needless to say, the collision made the blonde girl to grab sharply at the next guy in front of her as she glared venomously at Liz.  
  
"Who do you think you are, bitch?" the blonde screamed in the shrilly voice that made everyone cover their ears. "Have you any idea who I am?"  
  
"No. Why, should I?" replied Liz in a cautious tone. She was angered at the girl's comment which was totally was uncalled for in her opinion.  
  
"Do you live in a cave? I'm Pam Troy. My father is Jonathan Troy, CEO of WorldCom," Pam said haughtily, flicking her platinum blonde hair in a fake matter.  
  
Something inside Liz snapped. She was accustomed to pretentious individuals, but not openly offensive ones. Her annoyance was noted in her retort. "Well, the erudite refer to it as Great Britain, but I would not expect one so uncultured and devoid of any class to know of the place."  
  
"Why I." Pam began to respond in the extremely irritating voice of hers when she was interrupted.  
  
Max was shocked at the protectiveness he felt to a girl who he had just met. When Pam affronted the petite brunette, he had the urge to run over and shield her from the insults that he felt was obviously incorrect. He would have been highly amused by the latter's response that is if he had not been preoccupied with her eyes seemed to flame up in anger with a scorching look that could kill or at least maim. Finally, he decided to end the open dispute and start the class.  
  
"Good morning all, I'm Professor Maxwell Guerin. You all may refer to me as Professor Guerin or Max if you would like since I not that much older than any of you."  
  
As he began, anyone especially all the girls could not help but feel captivated by his sonorous voice and gave him their full attention. They did not notice gasp from the petite brunette in the back.  
  
Liz was shocked that the mystery man who she had found so familiar was the professor. She had not expected that someone just a few years older would be knowledgeable enough at the field to teach at such a prestigious school. Furthermore, it was such a coincidence that his man with his captivating voice and mesmerizing eyes would have the same name as her first and only love.  
  
As the class proceeded, the students found Max's teaching methods rather interesting. They had not thought that such a tedious class could be made to be appealing or in some cases, fun. However, no one could say that the class was not difficult and even the science nerds were having trouble grasping some of the information.  
  
Finally, the class ended and students filed out chatting, leaving Liz and Max alone. Liz had stayed behind to introduce herself to her new professor. She had wanted to ask him to suggest a tutor for the subject. What is wrong with me. Liz thought as she wondered why suddenly there were butterflies in her stomach due to her apprehension. She blamed it on first day jitters and her long flight.  
  
"Professor Guerin? Hi, I'm Liz Parker. I was wondering." Liz was rudely interrupted by the same shrilly voice that she had learned to hate.  
  
"Max! Aren't you happy that you are having me again for third time? Now, why don't me go into your office and have a little 'tutoring session or I'll fail.'" Pam pouted what she thought was a sexy innuendo as she batted her eyelashes suggestively and then stopped abruptly. "Oh it's you," she said in disdain.  
  
Liz could not believe her ears. She had not expected that a professor would have relations with a student, least of all Pam. "I'm sorry for bothering you two," Liz said quickly as she turned to leave. She gathered her stuff and practically run out of the lecture hall in disbelief and perhaps, heartbreak.  
  
The only thing that stopped Max from chasing after Liz - aside from Pam, who was in his way - was his initial shock at her name. At that instant, a thousand emotions and questions surged into Max. It was like a dream come true for him to realize that his lost love was standing in front of him within his reach. Oh, how she has changed! He thought. The once innocent girl had transformed into a gorgeous woman in the span of ten years. His heart had realized it was her from the moment he saw her standing in the doorway and all it took to substantiate this to his brain was some evidence as provided by her name.  
  
When the shock wore off, Max was filled with horror and anger. He lost his temper and was impelled to strangle Pam, even though most unfortunately she was his student once again. He felt the thousand words that he had suppressed threaten to flood out.  
  
"Pam, as I had informed you numerous times before. I am not at all interested in you or anything you would have to offer. In the future, do not mention any further falsehoods regarding our relationship, or lack thereof." Max said in a strained, yet commanding voice.  
  
Pam pouted and tried to appear to be hurt. "But Max, you know you love me."  
  
"That's absolutely ridiculous! You of all people cannot possibly grasp with 'love' is. Pam, try your best to pass this semester or I'll be forced to recommend some another instructor for your special case." Max said as he walked into his office and slammed the door behind him. Tomorrow, tomorrow I would set everything right. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he had not seen the blonde's determined and devious smirk as he left.  
  
So, he wants to be hard to get. He shouldn't be that much of a challenge for me, after all, no man can resist my charm. Pam thought as she took out her cell phone from her purse and strived out of the lecture hall.  
  
"Hello Jules, dig up everything on Professor Maxwell Guerin that you can find. I don't care how many laws you have to break, just do it." She snapped and nodded at the voice at the other line. Pam Troy never loses and always gets what she wants. This time, she was determined to make the handsome professor hers no matter the cost and no mousy little girl was going to stop her.  
  
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A/N: The song is from the Disney movie, Anastasia, and it is called Once Upon a December as the chapter title has already implied. If anyone here is reading my other fanfic, Learning to Live, I will try to update that within the next two days. 


	3. The Heart Won't Lie

Citations: The song that the chapter is named after is The Heart Won't Lie by Reba McEntire and Vince Gill.  
  
Chapter Two: The Heart Won't Lie  
  
Looking back over the years  
  
Of all the things I've always meant to say  
  
But the words didn't come easily  
  
So many times through empty fears  
  
Of all the nights I tried to pick up the phone  
  
So scared of who might be answering  
  
You try to live your life from day to day  
  
But seeing you across the room tonight  
  
Just gives me away  
  
Cause the heart won't lie  
  
Sometimes life gets in the way  
  
But there's one thing that won't change  
  
I know I've tried  
  
The heart won't lie  
  
You can live your alibi  
  
Who can see you're lost inside a foolish disguise  
  
The heart won't lie  
  
Long after tonight  
  
Will you still hear my voice through the radio  
  
Old desires make us act carelessly  
  
Long after tonight, after the fire  
  
After the scattered ashes fly  
  
Through the four winds blown and gone  
  
Will you come back to me  
  
You try to love your life from day to day  
  
But seeing you across the room tonight  
  
Just gives me away  
  
Liz ran out of the building with her head muddled with thoughts. She believed that she had no reason be this shocked, for in England she had seen her share of scandals as occasionally some member of the elite is lured to run away with a maid or intern. Well, that type of thing did not happen everyday, but it is known to happen nevertheless. Once again, her thoughts wandered to that handsome teacher that had so mesmerized her. Why did it have to be him? She thought. Liz could not pick out what about him that so attracted her. In her life, she has seen numerous good-looking males, but as most of them were too chauvinistic and presumptuous for her liking, she ended up rejecting them. As to the rest, she could not help comparing them to Max, her first love, and has always come up short because Max was just so perfect.  
  
"Hello, are you Elizabeth Parker?" came a voice that snapped Liz out of her trance.  
  
"Yes, I am and who might you be?" Liz questioned the pretty blonde that had just approached her.  
  
The girl smiled and replied, "I'm Maria Deluca and I work at the student center. I'm here to show you the ins and outs of Columbia."  
  
Liz liked the girl immediately and felt as if she was a long lost friend. She was more than happy to have some company since she was alone in a foreign country. Also, she did not have any classes for the rest of the day, so she was more than glad to oblige to a tour of the campus. "Sure, I would love to have a tour and please call me Liz."  
  
"Sure, I see that you had a class already. How was it?"  
  
"Organic Chemistry was always a hard subject for me, I never seemed to be interested in extremely 'fascinating' versatility of the element carbon."  
  
"Oh god, Chemistry. The bane of my existence. I don't think I ever managed to pass a chemistry class. But oh my god, do you have Max? He is such a sweet person though somehow he always seems so sad, like he lost a part of himself sometime in the past. I always wondered if he had once lost someone who he loved deeply."  
  
Liz was stunned for a moment and did not know what to say. Maria's description of Max fit her perfectly. Her thoughts turned to the girl that was shamelessly flirting with Max, that poor excuse for a living being - Pam Troy. "Really, do you think so? He and one of his students seemed really cozy after class."  
  
"Who? I haven't seen him look at any girl with any interest in my life and besides Max is a person with great integrity. He would not ever date a student even if she was his soulmate."  
  
"Well, you must think highly of him. I think her name was Pam Troy." Liz said hoping what Maria had said about Max was true.  
  
The moment after she had said that, it was obvious that Max would never do anything unethical like that especially with Pam of all people. Maria was practically rolling on the floor laughing and looking at Liz as if she was the most naïve person in the whole world. When she finally stopped, she explained what was so hilarious to Liz. "Pam Troy is the biggest bitch in the school or perhaps in the state and she thinks too highly of herself and tosses her father's name around to scare people. In fact, her father most likely bribed a lot of people to get her in this school, because her grades are atrocious. What makes things worse is that she is shamelessly obsessed with getting in Max's pants. It's totally pathetic seeing the methods that she has employed to try to get his affection, but of course it's all to no avail. Max finds her infuriating and extremely annoying, but can't seem to get rid of her. She has failed his class five times now and refuses to have anyone other than Max tutor her. What you probably saw was yet another unsuccessful element by Pam to seduce Max. Believe me anything that's going on between those two is completely one sided."  
  
With those words, Liz felt better and ever much relieved. The mysterious teacher seemed to have some morals and she was reminded of her Max's untainted reputation. Max didn't deserve to die. She thought to herself.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Maria asked the brunette. She had seen a confusing change of expression from Liz. At first, after hearing all she had to say about Pam, Liz seemed happy or rather ecstatic which was rather odd. Maria had a fleeting thought that the pretty newcomer had some feelings for Max. Suddenly Liz's expression changed and she looked so sad and lost. It was almost heartbreaking to watch and Maria wondered what had caused this change in the girl.  
  
Liz forced a smile. "No, I was just reminded of something." She said while changing the subject. "Shall we continue?"  
  
"Of course, we have lots to see." Maria rambled on and on.  
  
For the rest of the afternoon after classes, Liz and Maria went all around the beautiful and immense Columbia campus. Liz was having a great time for it seemed that Maria had an interesting anecdote for any place they visited. The two quickly become great friends. Maria was just a little older than Liz, but their appearances could not be more different. Maria had curly shiny blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. Both girls were very stunning and stood out of the rest of the student population. Liz had a simple elegance, while Maria had a bubbly personality; they seem to complement each other rather well. Neither girl seemed aware of how much attention they were attracting or how many hearts they were breaking in ignoring the pathetic attempts of a myriad of creatures containing the Y- chromosome.  
  
Finally, the two decided to call it a day and go to the cafeteria for some dinner. Liz had just grabbed a garden salad when she suddenly felt it again. The same presence that had haunted her as she stepped into the chemistry room that morning and Liz honestly hoped that this was a hallucination. She was certainly not in any state to deal with her mysterious new professor yet again. She looked up and, indeed, Max was there, entering the cafeteria oblivious to the turned heads and craned necks of the double X-chromosome population. Max must have felt something too, because as he suddenly looked up from the notes he was reading, he saw at Liz staring intently at him.  
  
Willing himself to calm down, he smiled politely at her - completely missing her blush and her new friend's look of amusement - as he made his way over to their table.  
  
"Hello, Miss Parker right?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible hoping against hope that he wasn't been to obvious.  
  
"Umm.yeah. It's nice to see you again Professor Guerin," she stammered immediately, kicking herself. Oh good job, Liz, now there's the way to seduce a man. It's nice to see you again. Honestly. Well, not that I want to seduce him. No, I just want to make a good impression.  
  
Max's soft voice broke through her thoughts, interrupting her reverie. ".nice to see you as well Miss Parker. Tell me, what do you think of my class so far?" he asked with a smile.  
  
"Oh umm.y-you know, it's umm g-great," Liz stumbled through her words again wondering how she suddenly went from becoming the cultured woman trained to speak eloquently at all times to a blubbering idiot just because her chemistry teacher wanted to ask how she liked the class.  
  
He didn't seem too bothered though as he laughed. "Oh it's all right Miss Parker. Organic chemistry is really not the most popular subject," he winked, "in fact, most of my students walk away thanking whatever higher power they believe in and cursing my name forever," he laughed light- heartedly.  
  
Liz somehow found that very dubious though she whole-heartedly believed that organic chemistry deserved whatever amount of curses its students had thought of.  
  
"Oh n-no. Honestly, I do like your class. It's just that, well, Professor Guerin, you must know that that I do have a very natural affinity for chemistry. In fact, I am abysmally bad at it. I really don't think it has anything to with the teacher. It's just, you know, some people are naturally good in certain areas while others are just hopeless," she said sincerely hoping that Max believed her, not only because she liked the teacher already but also because her grade did sort of depend on this man!  
  
He laughed again and waved a hand distractedly. "Don't worry Miss Parker. I understand completely and if you ever feel that you need extra help, don't hesitate to ask. I'm available for tutoring, of course, or I could assign you a personal, student tutor if you like."  
  
"Thank you, Professor Guerin.," Liz began about to tell him how much she appreciated his offer and that she would probably need to accept at some point when a familiar screeching voice could be heard before a certain skanky blond, that was unmistakably Pam Troy, was suddenly attached to Max's arm.  
  
"Max, oh my god, I've been looking all over for you. I'm not ready for your test. I think I need some tutoring. Oh please Max, I'm failing miserably and I need to do well on that test tomorrow," she winked suggestively at him batting her ridiculously long eyelashes that had been clumped together, undoubtedly, a flaw that mascara eventually produced after ten coats were applied.  
  
Liz didn't know why but she suddenly had the unmistakable urge to seize her shoulders, slap her senseless and pull out every last one of those fake lashes.  
  
Max obviously didn't seem very pleased either as he recoiled in disgust and turned around slowly as if he was hoped that Pam was only a hallucination that would vanish. Well no such luck.  
  
Calmly, Max plucked her fingers off his coat as he looked her squarely in the eyes. "Pam, tomorrow is Saturday. There are no classes on the weekends. Therefore, I suggest that you look carefully through the material that I gave you during the tutoring session I gave you last week. If you still have trouble afterwards, I will be happy to assist you in clarifying any material that you don't understand. Now, I think you should go enjoy you Friday night with your friends. After all, you wouldn't want to spend Friday night with your chemistry professor would you?" he smiled kindly though Liz was gratified to notice that the smile was strained and clearly did not come without a great amount of effort on his part.  
  
"Oh you silly," Pam giggled airily, "I don't mind at all. I'm a dedicated student after all. (Liz noticed Max and Maria both coughed in an effort to disguise their laughter) Besides who wouldn't want to spend Friday night with you hmmm.," she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice as she not so subtly attempted to rub her leg against Max's.  
  
Liz suddenly realized how off-balance she was and suddenly she just snapped not being able resist the temptation, as she slowly stuck out her foot gently pushing against the one five-inch heel of Pam's that was still on the floor. Pam suddenly lost her balance - and Max seemed to have chosen that moment to pull away- as she crashed down onto the floor sputtering profanity as she carelessly abused the English language.  
  
The entire cafeteria was stunned and then suddenly everyone started laughing enveloping a fuming and gasping Pam Troy with a tumultuous wave of mirth. She stood up unsteadily and gathering what small amount of dignity still left stared venomously at Liz, who had suddenly looked as innocent as an angel, and announced how angry her father was going to be and stormed out the cafeteria. 


End file.
